Nova Scotia workplace safety officers do week-long blitz

Nova Scotia occupational health and safety officers inspected 78 businesses last week, a "blitz" the labour minister says will be repeated every few months.

The province is trying to promote workplace safety as the summer job season begins. Last week's inspections focused mainly on construction sites where workers work at heights.

The results of the blitz were:

• 25 inspections involving young workers
• 37 orders issued for fall protection and scaffolding
• 16 additional compliance orders for things such as not having the proper safety documentation on site
• 61 warnings for things such as not having the proper first aid kit on site

Inspectors were also accompanied by staff from the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. Labour Minister Kelly Regan said in a news releasethe effort is about trying to make sure workers and bosses know about safety and where to go for support.

There have been four acute and six chronic workplace-related deaths in 2015, according to the department.

The Department of Laboursays it's launched a series of initiatives to try and cut down workplace injuries and deaths, including more targetted inspections and hiring more safety officers and a dedicated prosecutor.